Calina Franzosa lives and paints in Alexandria, VA. You can find her painting outside and in studio 340 at The Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria.Calina was born in 1981 in Santa Cruz, California. After college, she became a high school English teacher. The practical profession of teaching won out over a career in the visual arts. In 2016, Calina began painting again, creating drawings and oil paintings, in her studio and en plein air. She states, “I’ve always been a daydreamer and painting lets me hang out in those daydreams a little longer. I love being outdoors and experiencing nature, but the moments are fleeting; painting is how I can stop time, freeze a moment, and preserve it. When I find a scene that moves me, I enjoy figuring out how to create that same reaction on the canvas. My paintings focus on creating a sense of space, tranquility, and nostalgia.” Calina loves to travel both internationally and around the US. Travel affords her the opportunity to experience different cultures and landscapes. She enjoys bringing these experiences to her studio practice, painting both from studies done on location and her reference photos. As Calina explains it, “As an avid traveler I find myself attracted to the everyday scenes that make places both unique and familiar. My traditional oil paintings capture the scapes: land, sea, city, and sky. Whether it be an intimate landscape or an epic vista; give me the great outdoors!”